


A Friend In Need

by FeltLikeWritingAndHereIAm



Series: Stories I wrote when inspired but couldn't finish because of life [3]
Category: Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Misunderstandings, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-05-24
Packaged: 2021-03-02 22:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24354088
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeltLikeWritingAndHereIAm/pseuds/FeltLikeWritingAndHereIAm
Summary: William Harris McDougal, aka Billy buddy, aka Doctor Horrible, has a civil identity as a poor genius on a scholarship and works at a store part-time. Richard Princeton, aka Captain Hammer, also has a civil identity, and he was a librarian. Billy meets Richard, and they somehow become friends.
Relationships: Billy & Moist (Dr. Horrible), Billy (Dr. Horrible) & Captain Hammer, Billy/Penny (Dr. Horrible)
Series: Stories I wrote when inspired but couldn't finish because of life [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1246229
Comments: 1
Kudos: 18





	1. Chapter 1

Sometimes, Billy hated having double lives. Trying to balance them all out was always a pain, there was always something missing and he would find it in his other life. Once he forgot the remote which rewinds time at college when he got to class, he searched his bag for a pencil, pen, or anything.

Instead found a time-altering remote controller.

He once found his calculator in his hands instead of his new invention, the slip-dip. Throwing it on the floor made it slippery and thinking of throwing it underneath Hammer before he could reach him will win him the situation. Instead, he took out a plain old calculator, which broke even more when Hammer smacked him.

No, having alternate double lives wasn’t fun. So, he sighs and takes out his boring blue uniform and wore it, getting out of the room and walking down the apartment. He needed a way to pay for his tools and inventions, and since none of the foundations that helped budding new villains responded to him he started working.

Not very evil, he knew, but what else was he to do. If no one would help you simply because they dislike you, and you already have a goal, would you stop?

He wanted to change the world, change the status quo. But even the good guys were very lousy at that job, they never try to make things better, and villains always did what they wanted without questioning their mental sanity.

and who would hire brains over brawns for a hero?

No, he needed to change society as a villain, so he swallowed his pride and walked the rest of the way to the store.

He has his goal in mind, and the path planned out.

What he really needed in all of this, was a friend.

** 0o0o0 **

Richard Princeton was the alter ego of Captain Hammer, a very nondistinctive guy … if you ignored the muscles, which oddly enough happened.

No one ever connected him to Captain Hammer because he was smart, he was wearing glasses and a sweater, he also worked as a librarian. Who would ever think of him as a hero, hmm? Acting dumb and jerkish – not a real word he knew but he isn’t going to debate on that – most of the time helped in disguising him because he was always polite, smart, hardworking and quiet, a complete contrast to his hero identity.

It sucked because he can never be who he really is, a mix of both.

Going to the store to get more coloring books for the next school visit he stopped as he stared at a small petite man and had the urge to yell Doctor. What? He only has that urge when he sees Horrible, maybe because they were both blonds, the doctor always wore his goggles that pretty much covered half his face.

“Excuse me, but I need to buy those,” He said. The small man jumps in his place before turning around and nodding, mumbling a sorry. He smirked seeing the man run away with his clipboard, an obvious worker here. And didn’t act like Horrible at all.

Picking up the top of his list gave him time to buy other things, such as food, a lot of food, pens, toilet paper – ruddy cat – shampoo and toothbrushes. He turned to the corner and smacked right at a small body – everyone was small compared to him – making it fall, he cursed knowing that he must have felt like a brick wall to whoever hit him.

“I’m sorry.”

“No, my fault, wasn’t watching.” Then man gasped, and his hands dropped going straight to his clipboard, Hammer noticed something at that instant.

Bandages.

The shirt had moved up ever so slightly, the skin that was supposed to be as pale as the man’s face, maybe even paler, was instead wrapped in gauze and bandages. The parts that weren’t covered were littered with a myriad of bruising, all in different stages of colors. Purples and greens and yellows.

And as a nervous habit, the man subconsciously tugs his shirt down without even blinking, without the horror of being discovered shadowing his face. He just tugs it down as if it was normal.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to pain,” The man stutters, accompanied an obvious twitch in his other hand.

This did not reassure Hammer him at all.

“Are you sure, you look kind of tired.”

“Yes, sure, work,” The man was now stammering, trying to get away from this. Hammer noticed the doodles on the cupboard and had a bright idea.

“Hey, you’re a good artist,” He says, pointing at the random lines that combined together into what looked like an engine. “Do you think you can come to the library this Monday to teach the children how to draw?” he asks, cringing at how abrupt his demand was.

The blond stops and looks back at Hammer straight in the eyes.

Hammer wanted to take a deep breath, what he saw was the bluest baby blue eyes he has ever seen, it made the man look quite literally innocent, like a child, even though he was tall and slightly muscled, it didn’t hide whatever passion lingered behind his eyes, or the vulnerability.

“You- You think it’s good?” The blond asks, his expression brightening up.

“Yeah, very good. What is it?”

“It’s engine parts of the mini rocket model we need to build, it has to work on complete clean energy and I’m trying to figure out how to do it, the rest are just … doodles.” He blushed at that, Richard only smirked.

“I was a student too, all my texts are doodles.”

“O-Okay.”

“I’m Richard Princeton by the way, librarian.”

“B-Billy McDougal, part-timer, and student.” He said, there was less of a stutter in his voice now.

“I just finished school a year ago, couldn’t find work and here I am, how much left do you have?”

“I have a year before graduating.”

“So, you’re twenty-two? Like me.”

“Nope, t-twenty.” He blushes, this guy sure blushed a lot.

“Well, I need to get back to the library, the books wouldn’t sort themselves out now would they, nice meeting you Billy, hope to see you on Monday.” He called, waving and walking backward then turned to walk straight ahead. Billy waved back dumbfounded and blinked.

Did he just make a friend? Billy thought. He never makes friends, not until he knew them for years at least. What was it with Richard Princeton that changed that fact?

He just made a friend, and he wasn’t a henchman sent by the henchman’s league. He started to skip as he continued his work for the day, a smile at the tip of his lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This fic has been sitting in my laptop for what could have been a decade now. I can't believe how old the Dr. Horrible fandom is, oh wow. It felt like yesterday when I watched it for the first time.  
> I hope you enjoy this fic.


	2. Chapter 2

He has a new plan, it came to him when he was at a nuclear theory test he had that weekend, he was studying regenerative power as a major, he could easily be called the most talented and intelligent person in his class.

A Freeze Ray.

He could totally make a freeze ray, not the one that … well … freeze stuff, no, it could make everyone stop, like the rewinding time controller, only instead of rewinding certain objects to their old time frames it could simply stop them from continuing it.

Like a pause button.

Of course, no one understood him when he told them his theory. As usual, his fellow classmates avoided him once more like the plague, and he wondered vaguely why they even joined this course if they couldn’t even understand the basics at all.

He didn’t need to work hard on his studies, and because of that the scholarship fund was always rolling in. He used it to pay for the cheap apartment he lives in, he plans to ditch it once he becomes a well-known villain and make some underground facility as his lair or something.

He was getting hints that many facilities and research groups are planning to recruit him once he graduates, so everyone else was … jealous.

He hates it when they were jealous, if you were desperate enough to act on these feelings then you don’t deserve the reward. you should work on making what you want happen instead of soaring down in self-pity and hating the other person who actually has it, he wants to yell at them that they weren’t some poor guy whose only option was to be perfect or else he’ll be in the down-low once again.

He lived in a ‘group home’ as a kid – it was an orphanage but adults thought it was sad and called it otherwise – after being taken away from his abusive father, and his too mentally exhausted mother to take care of herself, were announced unfit.

Every time he got adopted he was returned later on for being too smart, or sometimes always being too problematic, meaning that he always found bullies targeting him and the parents didn’t want a kid who couldn’t even care for himself.

The bullying was the worst part of his childhood.

They would always pick on him for being smart it was annoying, it was painful and at that point in time it was scary and lonesome. He looked up to heroes as a child, but then found out that they were the main reason why he was always bullied at school.

The villains were always smart, always building robots or some weapon of the apocalypse, so they always pounded them and in a way, sending a subconscious message to all youth that smart means evil, which means it was okay to bully the smart people.

He knew it was farfetched, but he was proven right for once, on a day where he a black eye and walked down to the group home and witnessed when Justice Joe was fighting Mister Maniacal.

“It’s okay to run away, Maniacal. I am, After all, about to beat you, mercilessly.”

“Why would I run? I’ve got you where I want you! Now the world will see that brains will always win over brawns!”

“Whatever you say, Einstein.” it was the same insult the kids said punching him, and all his respect for superheroes fell down that day. What he saw then was another bully, fighting another guy because he was smart. Maybe it also sent a subconscious message to his younger self that smart people will end up bad guys?

“What a hilarious made-up name!” a woman said at that time next to him, he wanted to yell at her that Einstein was a genius mathematician and physics that probably helped humanity more than she would ever do to help herself.

He bit his tongue in time so as not to put himself in a worse off situation.

“He’s as witty as he is strong!” another man said, that was it for him, he left the area before he could hear more. After all, he wasn’t welcome there, even as an elementary student he was too intelligent and delved himself in theory books, so in his young childish mind, he thought that if they found out he was better than them when it comes to brain functions, they would hurt him the same way Justice Joe hurt Mister Maniacal.

He grew out of those thoughts when he came to college, no one bothered themselves anymore and only cared about passing. However, there was always an exception, and it seems he was one of them.

Society was just a herd of sheep, tell them anything and they will believe it. With no leader to direct them correctly, it will fall apart. Modern society is led by a reckless lion, it needs a cunning and sharp wolf, not a lion that spread lies of justice and other nonsense as such.

He plans on becoming a wolf. The wolf.

When he reached his room he went straight to his lab and propped the whiteboard as he started writing equation after another, every letter and number with its own law knowing what will happen if he broke them made him happy until he fell asleep.

** 0o0o0 **

Hammer woke up from another late-night patrolling, he grunts and pulled himself to the bathroom, grunting with every step. Finally, in the bathroom he took a shower and brushed his teeth at the same time, a habit he can’t seem to break no matter how much he tried.

After finishing the shower, he took the shave cream and razor taking the new stubble he started to grow in one night making him wonder if there was such thing as hair fairies that makes their rounds at night only for grown men.

And some ladies, the ones from the circus, especially those, and some girls who have a small mustache that thought no man will notice but do, that is disgusting and a major turn off. If he flirted with any girl like that it made him feel like he was flirting with a guy instead. He can’t exactly say that out loud or he’ll get slapped. It wasn’t like he could control his turn-offs anyways, wouldn’t someone get turned off if they saw their grandma naked?

Okay, they’ll also get slapped then.

Finishing up he took his hammer shirt and wore it, then took a white buttoned shirt with a grey-blue sweater vest on top of it. Ready for another day in the library he grabs all the coloring books he bought from the store a few days ago and got out of his apartment.

Walking to the library he was thinking of all the things he could entertain the kids with, he could tell them more superhero stories, stories of the old heroes he looked up to as a child, or maybe do another puppet show, a small dancing game?

He then thought of the teachers that will be present, they all pretty much became very well-known acquaintances, not right there as friends though.

Then he remembered something else.

The store guy will come too!

He was Billiam, er… William, Billy, whatever, how does that even happen, Billy becoming the nickname for William, really now? The same thing for Bob, it was the nickname Robert, and it was still farfetched.

Then he remembered his own name and grimaced.

He was happy to note there isn’t any school bus coming in and opened the library, it was owned by his grandfather and not city hall, so when his grandfather died he wrote it down in his will saying it was his.

He was glad to open it for public though, he didn’t sell it either, not wanting to lose any memory of his grandfather. He even kept the decor the same except for the children’s section, where it became brighter to be accustomed to their tastes.

He was surprised to hear the door open, did any of the workers came earlier than usual? He looks up from the front desk and was surprised to find store guy, looking awkward with a red hood and jeans. He has some sketch pads with him, of all sizes as well, and a full wad of pencils and colors.

“Uh, too early?”

“You were looking up for this weren’t you?” Richard said grinning at Billy’s blush and small nod.

“Yeah, I mean I don’t get to relax much anymore, and hanging out with kids is cool, sometimes they give you ideas for new things.”

“Really, like what?” he asked as he started to arrange the small desks with the utensils, Billy joining in.

“There once was a kid who said he wanted to be just like Spider-man, you know, comic super-hero,” and probably his only favorite superhero. “And it gave me the idea to make anti-gravity gloves! Do you know how much this will help construction workers! At first, I wanted the gloves to ignore gravity and stick onto walls like Spider-man and all that, then came the idea that it could repel things, with magnetism, just like Magneto! And if construction workers wore them it will help lessen accidents, it will repel any fallen item from the sky and they will have more time to get away from getting squashed.”

Then Billy started to ramble about the technical difficulties making Hammer’s head spin a bit.

“Whoa there, I don’t understand anything you’re saying,” He exclaimed. Billy stopped and looked ashamed at just letting himself talk like that.

“S-Sorry, I keep forgetting that others don’t understand ...”

“It’s okay, that’s kind of fascinating, knowing it is possible to build something like that. did you start on it?”

“Y-Yeah, but I’m running on trouble, I’m still working on my clean energy mini-rocket.”

“Mini-rocket?” A small voice squeaked out, they both jumped and looked down to find a brown haired girl with big heavy looking glasses on. Hammer raised a brow and looked at Billy who looked ready to start rambling once again.

“Yup, I have to build a rocket with something else than gas.”

“You mean … like the ones we use for cars and busses?” she asked innocently, Billy beamed, it made Hammer feel a bit stupid for a moment, that a kid could make Billy happier and catch on to what he says faster than he did, and he was the older one.

Then he stopped momentarily and thought of the fact that there is a kid in here. Now a row of children came running inside the library with someone crying at the back as the teacher cradled him on her hips looking very motherly to them.

Billy stopped yapping with the little girl and stared at the woman. Richard did so as well.

Man, was the new teacher hot.

Her fire-red hair reached down beneath her back. Her skin was flawless, a pretty contrast against her hair. Her eyes were a warm brown color that reminded Richard of Bambi, the old movie he used to watch as a kid. Her lips were painted in red, and it made her thin lips seem a little bit more full than what it actually is.

This was the new teacher replacing Mrs. Brindle?

“Oh, hi. I’m Penny Parker.”

“I’m Richard, the owner, and librarian, are you going to sit on this or will you go catch up on other things.” He asked, reminding himself that reality doesn’t pause when you’re checking someone out.

The new teacher frowned.

“Why would I do that? it’s my job to watch over the children.”

“Mrs. Brindle used to do that,” He said frowning as well. Penny rolled her eyes but smiled.

“I guess I can see why they changed her. Nope, I’ll stay with the kids, what’s the program?” she asked, Billy was still staring at her wearing a goofy face as if love-struck. The tiny little girl next to him noticed and scrunched her nose then kicked him at the shin making him yelp.

“That hurts,” He said to the girl. She huffed and crossed her arms.

“Tell me more about mini-rockets! You said it’s different from the ones at the toy store and I want to know how!” she demanded, making Penny sigh.

“Mandolin Bright, you will show respect to Mr…”

“Billy.”

“Mr. Billy, and ask nicely, and also apologize for kicking his legs like you did.” It seems Mandy was about to start fighting when Miss Penny cut her off by saying. “or no scientific books for you today.”

Mandy looked horrified at the idea of no scientific books and looked back at Billy.

“I’m sorry for kicking you in the shin Mr. Billy, but you needed it or else you would never wake up and kept staring.” She said in that innocent childish way. Billy blushed looking up at Penny then back to Mandy.

“That’s okay kid, hey, how about we read together? After drawing there’s free reading, right?” he asks Richard who nodded, then turned back to Mandy. “Free reading, then group story.”

Mandy brightened up as she pulled him towards the tables where half the children were already there either drawing or coloring or in some cases, making paper airplanes.

“So … you’re the new teacher?” Richard asked. Penny shook her.

“Oh no, I’m a substitute. They’re still looking for a good teacher, I’m watching over some kindergarten classes.” She said then smiled. “I usually volunteer at the homeless shelter.”

That was something else he questioned. It was called a homeless shelter, for the homeless, though when they go there and stay there for a few nights they aren’t homeless, so they shouldn’t stay there.

Right? Wrong? Stop Hammer this is stupid even by your standards.

“That’s nice.” He commented idly and walked off to color with some kids, a group of them were around Billy as he showed them how to draw animals.


	3. Chapter 3

Two months later, he was still going to the library teaching children how to draw, or even teach them interesting facts.

Suddenly he was glad to have a civilian identity and that even the evil league of evil itself doesn’t pry on your civil identity unless you joined them. It was a very well-known rule that all heroes and villains have. Your alter ego is your sacred treasure. If anyone betrayed you and gave it to someone else, then you have the right to kill them off, at least that’s how it goes with villains.

With heroes he doesn’t exactly know how they deal with it.

With his secret identity, he could do whatever he wished, without being interrogated of his intentions, and he rather liked helping out in the library every Monday. 

Then there was Penny.

She was the most beautiful, nicest, and sweetest girl he has ever met. She doesn’t even laugh at him when he starts rambling about whatever new idea or invention he has in mind, she always listens and comments as best as she could instead of insulting him.

Richard seemed to realize this and always left him with her, oddly enough. He was a ladies man if the many female tenants were anything to go by, so it was nice of him to act as his wingman in this situation.

But not everything was fun and games, he still has his alter ego to take care of, and it was finally the day he could get some payment and start his freeze ray project before his life started getting wonky.

When he was trying to get some money from the ATM, something impossible happened.

There was a hold up in the bank … while he was in civilian attire. Great.

Billy hated his luck, always did, so now that there was a robbery and couldn’t fight back the robbers, as Dr. Horrible claiming this place as his turf, he let himself act as one of the sheep and crouched low with his hands behind his back.

He began to think and try to remember if he has any gadget on him, the robbers were now taking money from every person in the bank and they were coming towards him, he still has parts of the ice-beam inside his pocket. It was made from a laser pen and he wondered what would happen if he flipped the properties of the laser somehow managing to make ice from it, ice-pen?

Nope too lame, so he named it ice-beam. It just needed little tweaking so it could become functional.

However, knowing his luck he was proved that he will not have enough time to do what he wants, as the robber grabbed his hands and yanked him up.

“What do you got there in your pocket, kid?” he said smirking as he hauled him up. GREAT. Billy’s hands twitched, and he froze, not wanting a new catastrophe; the idiot could mistake his jerking as a motion to grab a weapon of his own, it happened once.

“Nothing.”

“What do you mean nothing, you _have_ to have something.” he started searching his pockets and he wanted to kick the guy. “Come on, leave the kid, and search for the rich looking ones.”

Yeah leave him, he needs the things in his pockets.

“Aha, what do we have here.” He said taking out the ice-beam. Balls.

“Pen, for writing.” He said with sarcasm only to get a punch to the face, he didn’t comment on that, he knew he was being an ass, but really? He couldn’t insult him back or anything? Just straight up to the punching.

No brains it seems.

“Stay where you are criminal, for you shall pay for your crimes!” A sudden voice bellows in, making Dr. Horrible swear. He looked at the gate and found the one person he didn’t want to see, oddly enough that person reminded him of Richard.

“It’s Captain Hammer!”

“Shit.” The one holding him pulled him and placed him in front of his own body using him as a human shield. There was a gun pressed to his head. He gulped and then looked straight at the captain.

He never thought he would ever be glad that the captain was there, and that he was hoping he won’t mess up his job for the first time.

“One more step Captain Hammer and this kid gets it.” There was a click, indicating that the safety lifting off. His hands went straight to his ice-beam, he was now tweaking for his life without being obvious about it.

He looks up, only to be surprised about the Captain’s very intense and sharp expression, oh sh- did he figure out who he was?

** 0o0o0 **

_ ‘NO! Of all days he could come to get his pay he comes in today! The day it was getting robbed! The guy looks confused and scared now, only more than usual.’ _

“Let go of him.”

“Or else what, captain? I’m the one holding him here, unless you let us go we will have this guy’s life and then anyone else at the back.” He heard whimpering at the back and Captain Hammer grinds his teeth. He needs to save them by beating those guys up before they could start shooting anyone.

His eyes landed on Billy, he was twitching again, the ever familiar nervous tick that guy had-

No! No, he wasn’t twitching, there’s something in his hands and Billy’s eyes were very intensely focused on it.

Was it one of his inventions?

Billy looks up and he looks more scared now, it was like he was begging him to buy some time. And so he did. “What do you want, aside for the money.”

“Nothing Captain, it’s all about the money.” The robber said still smirking as everyone at the back was working on getting the greens inside the bags, Billy’s hands twitched and a glorious widespread smile crossed his face. 

Billy pointed a _ballpoint pen?_ At the robber’s face, the robber stops and stares at it.

“What do you think you’re doing with that thing?” He says laughing at Billy’s determined face, who only glared.

“Eat Ice!” he yells and clicks a button on the pen, only for it to _shoot ice!_

** Billy was a genius! **

The man let go of Billy who dropped on the ground and starts shooting even more ice, now turned to shards, at all the robbers and captain hammer jumping right in for the punch. He managed to get three and only one was left, that one had all the money and was running straight to the door.

The captain was too far to reach. However, he was surprised to find the man drop to the ground and stops to look at where he fell. There was ice holding him by the legs, and he was surprised and turns to stares at Billy, who was now grabbing his hand in pain.

The pen was on the ground while his hand _burned_ , scarring was obviously going to be there.

“It’s always the stabilizing agent,” Billy mutters and cradles his hands. The other civilians get up and rush over the captain, thanking him for saving the day. Captain tried to move and reach Billy.

When he finally gets out, Billy was already gone.

Only the pen remains, and it seemed that it had a mini explosive episode.

** 0o0o0 **

Billy was right back at his apartment glaring at everything.

They witnessed it, the Evil League of evil witnessed the robbery and found him out, they found out who he was and now he will never have the chance to be the _it_ villain. Turns out the whole ‘ _your alter ego is treasure’_ thing doesn’t run by the league. He was fuming, but he couldn’t do anything.

It doesn’t matter, they don’t matter, he can be a feared villain without their help, he can cause an impact without their help, he only needed them to speed up his plans but they’re not the base of operation. It was him. He needs his mind and ambition to continue his path, to achieve his dream, not them.

He is officially a non-villain to the villain community, but who says villains go by the rules, who said they care what others think? He isn’t going by their rules, he has his own, he will get to his goals one way or another.

At least they didn’t state the reason for it, only sent a notice to everyone that he was out of the picture.

But now, now he needed to use his special burn salves again, the ones that actually work, not like the ones in the hospital. He lets it sooth out the pain and he breathes in relief.

Great, Hammer saw him. However, something was strange this time, it was as if he knew him, and not the _Captain hammer who knows Dr. Horrible as nemesis_ know him, but … much more personal kind of know him.

He shook his head, maybe the man saw him in the store or at the laundromat or something.

At last after half an hour he took the bandages and wrapped it around his hands, sighing once more. He needs to go to take a walk, re-plan everything, take some relaxing time, just _stop thinking._ He opened the door and smacked straight to a _wall,_ falling down on his butt.

Talk about Déjà vu.

He looks up and finds none other than his friend Richard Princeton.

“Ahh …”

“Finally! Do you know how hard it is to find your apartment, I had to ask about six ladies, and trust me, they didn’t want me to go.”

“You looked for me? Why? Couldn’t call or wait till Monday or something.”

“Yeah, like I want to wait till Monday for something serious. The tv broadcasted it and everyone saw you in the video feeds.” Billy’s face became pale, as the realization was now dawning on him, it meant everyone knew, _everyone._ They all saw it, they all have seen it, he wasn’t even in disguise.

** OH GOD! **

“Breath, come on, Breath.” He took calming breaths of sucking in and out the air and was held up to the couch of his apartment. Hammer sat down next to him and tried to help him out from his hyperventilation.

Wait, why did he call Richard Hammer? 

Suddenly, a new revelation appeared, his complication now resembled that of a piece of paper, his hands were now shaken. All the variables were now written in a clear scribble, in an equation that had one unknown variable.

Solving the equation made him pale.

Richard was Hammer, the silent quiet librarian is the lousy loud captain, his best friend is his worst enemy.

He fainted.

** 0o0o0 **

Richard was now panicking, he looked around the room and figured out why Billy never gave him a number because the telephone was right there in pieces, he took out his phone and dialed 911. He moved Billy to the floor and was checking if he was breathing when the phone picked up.

“911, what’s your emergency?”

“My friend fainted, he isn’t breathing well and his heart rate is high.”

“Relax and follow what I say, does he have a medical history?” the woman on the line asks.

“I don’t know!” he exclaimed.

“I said to relax sir, count his heartbeats, the ambulance is on the way.”

“I didn’t even say the address.”

“We located your area, now count his heartbeats,” and he did, he told her the number and she told him more instructions that he was now following. After half an hour, the ambulance finally came and he moved away when they walked in and started to check him.

“What happened before this?”

“He just panicked, I moved him to the couch when it became better, then all of a sudden it just got worst and he fainted.”

One of them started giving orders with medical jargon mixed into his words, making Richard grab the table hard. “Nothing else?”

“No.” the other questions were easy to answer, then they brought or grungy and lifted Billy up. Richard was about to ride with them when one of them stopped him. “There isn’t any room, you’re too big.”

“But-“

“I’m sorry, we’ll be at the well-fare hospital, alright.” He said riding the ambulance and closing the door. The vehicle rode off. Richard waited for a few seconds then started running as fast as he could, enough to know that the ambulance will reach the hospital before him.


	4. Chapter 4

Billy opened his eyes groggily, his eyelids were heavy, and he was feeling a surge of nausea coming over him. He couldn’t sit straight though, none the less bend over to let out the wretch he was feeling. Instead, he whines loudly and it caught someone’s attention.

A woman came over to him “You’re awake! How are you feeling honey?”

“L-like puking.” He answered with a very low voice, at that moment he did vomit but it seems that the nurse has experience with these types of instants for she brought a trash can not letting anything fall on the floor. “Not a good sign honey, just go back to sleep and the doctor will be here with you later, your friend is already with him.”

“F-Friend?” he asks, who could- Hammer! No, Richard! God no, this is not happening, his best friend couldn’t be Hammer, Hammer always punched him and attacked him, always hurt without even asking questions first. Richard was nice, he was always nice to everyone and always asked if they were okay and he was good, and he was  _not Hammer!_

“Doctor!” The door was slammed open and someone came in, a few others as well but he couldn’t concentrate on them because suddenly his heart was beating too fast, _too loud_ and he couldn’t relax and he was too scared and frightened to relax and _what was happening, oh no not again._

Then a sudden feeling of ease came over him, he was now tired, he looked up to find the doctor adding syringe, liquid coming out of it and into the bag that was connected to him, at the end he couldn’t stand it anymore and closed his eyes to bless.

** 0o0o0 **

The doctor sighed and got out of the room after he was sure that the patient was stabilized, the rather large but quite man was still outside looking very worried.

“How is he, doctor?”

“He’s fine for now. However, I want to know if there is something about your friend that was should know of?”

“What do you mean?” The man asked, frowning; the doctor doesn’t know how to bring it out slowly and sighed as he opted to just say it bluntly.

“William has signs of old injuries; it seems to have been ongoing and only recently stopped,” He said. Richard’s face morphed though, showing a very angry expression as he thought that his friend has someone who was hurting him.

“Your friend is diagnosed with a panic disorder, and his injuries show a history of abuse there.”

“I don’t know, we’ve only been friends for a few months.”

“That’s a shame, but you should talk to him, the police will look into this if he really is a victim of abuse,” The doctor said and left.

Richard had lots of things to think about now. Billy? Abused?

But he saw the evidence the first time they met, all the bandages covering his hands under his shirts, why he always wore long sleeves even when the cool weather became hot.

He sat on the bench and lets his head fall to his hands.

** 0o0o0 **

The next time Billy woke up, _he_ was there.

They stayed silent for a while before he broke it.

“The police and doctors want to know who hurt you?” He said, Billy blinked for a while as if wondering what he was talking about, Richard gritted his teeth and growled out. “Who was abusing you?”

“No one did? Why ask?”

“Billy. I think of you as my best friend now, no one else is closer than you and it only happened in a few months. I know you think the same way. And as close friends, I want to know if you were getting hurt by someone.”

Billy’s eyes went wide as he was panicking in the inside, what should he say, he couldn’t really say _‘oh no, it’s you who hurt me when we work as our alter egos you know._ ’ So, he blurted out the only thing that was in his mind that made sense at that moment.

“My partner,” He said and wanted to facepalm, but his hands were tuck to the IV, so he turns around and looks at the window. Richard was silent for a few moments then narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

“A lady did that?” he sounded suspicious too, Billy closed his eyes and thought of it then opened his mouth again.

“My boyfriend.” _Shut up Billy!_ Richard fell silent after that, it was awkward now, the silence was drowning him and he couldn’t say anything to stop it, couldn’t say _‘just kidding.’_ So he let the atmosphere overwhelm him.

“Where is he?” Richard demanded, Billy blinked and looked at him with his gaping mouth.

“You mean you’re not disgusted with me?”

“Why would I?”

“For being gay, I mean bi, I’m bisexual.”

“Alright. So, you like both guys and girls, I don’t think that’s reason enough to hate someone or to cut off my friendship with you.” He said frowning than realization dawned on the captain’s head. “You thought that I would leave you because you’re gay? Why would you think that! No, I want to know where that boyfriend of yours is so I can **pound** him.” This made Billy surprised, ultimately it made Richard surprised too.

Billy smiled. 

“You don’t have to worry about him, he isn’t with me anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Uh … he just left.”

“Just left.” Now Richard seemed very angry, and for the life of Billy he didn’t know why.

“Yeah.”

“You mean he abused you for a long time then he suddenly left, with no reason at all.” He said angrily. “What is his name?”

“I think it was a fake name.”

“Billy.”

“I… don’t want to think about him anymore, kay?” He smiles at him, and Hammer – Richard – still looked intensely at him. Sighing, realizing that this will not go away until he receives a name.

Then, suddenly, an idea came to him.

“Jefferson Legion.” One of the members of the league.

They defiled his secret identity, why should he keep theirs?

After all, Dr. Horrible is nothing if not thorough, and he would never join a team without knowing who any of them are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Billy is a villain after all.


End file.
